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Revealed: Para in line for first Afghan VC

A PARATROOPER who came under a ferocious hail of Taliban gunfire as he saved the life of a wounded American sergeant is the first British soldier serving in Afghanistan to be recommended for the Victoria Cross.

Private Peter McKinley, 21, a trained first aid soldier, endured 15 minutes of sustained attack from heavy machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades as he treated the US soldier during one of the most intense battles experienced by the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

Army commanders have described McKinley’s rescue effort in Helmand province as a “massive display of bravery” and have put his name forward to the Interdepartmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals.

It has previously been speculated that he was in the running for the VC along with several others but it now appears he is going to be the first to receive the medal. The VC is the highest